Well I think I have finally convinced my financial advisor (wife) to let me buy a new bass!
I didn't have to get on my knees and beg - I just asked her the other night... said I'd had my Ibanez for 7 years now and I am looking for a new tone (not that she knows what that means). plus I said with all the private gigs my band has coming up I think I've earnt it....

anyway I've got about $1k to spend and will prefer to buy new, or at least something I can try out first
I like the Fender shape body - not too keen on the Warwick shape or some of the goth looking LTD basses
had a play on a mexican fender at the Rock Shop before Xmas - had double humbuckers (passive) and had a nice fat tone, then played a musicman ray34? it was nice to play but sounded very 'tinny' - then plugged my Ibanez in and it sounded 'dead'.... mind you the strings do need replacing (which I probably won't do if I buy a new bass). Also had a play on a GL Tribute a while ago and really liked the tone and feel, although from memory it was quite a heavy bass
I see the Rock shop have 30% off Tokai basses? had a tokai precision many years ago (before some #$@%&%@ stole it) and really liked it

so looks like a few trips to the music shops are in order....

question - if you played in a popular covers band and had $1k to spend on a bass - where would you put your money?

"We became rich a lot later than I thought - now I'm too old to enjoy my money" - John 'Thunderfingers' Entwhistle

Well I did it! I bit the bullet and bought a new bass - SQUIER VINTAGE MODIFIED 70S JAZZ 4STR BASS NATURAL

My fellow band mates convinced my wife I needed a new bass.... We went to the wedding venue yesterday afternoon to set up an as usual my bass started buzzing like mad out the front, so the singer called my wife in so she could hear the buzzing for herself and said "This is what we have to put up with every week trying to sort his sound out". Band mates agreed, so afterwards my wife said if you want another bass you can buy one. Even suggested today over brunch that we 'take a trip to the Rock Shop - so we did!
I knew I didn't want to spend mega $$ on a good music man or german made warwick and the squire sounded really good and played like a dream - even fit in the case I have for the Ibanez.

It was either the Squire or an ESP bass same colour but had split P pick ups and a jazz pick up... the ESP had a little more bottom end but I preferred the look of the neck on the Squire.

first try out is next weekends gig!

Attachments

"We became rich a lot later than I thought - now I'm too old to enjoy my money" - John 'Thunderfingers' Entwhistle

yeah - I was going to go to several music shops and try a range and compare, but the squire was on special and my wife asked if they could do anything more on the price, and the guy said they don't really have room to move on the squires - but threw in a $69 pack of DR Strings!

interestingly enough I was talking to the guy about my bass problems and he said having the eq on my bass up high (which I do) would be sending to strong a signal to the amp and the mixing desk and that's what might be causing the buzz..... but if I put the eq on my Ibanez flat the volume is almost halved, plus I was getting some buzzing when the pick ups were switched to passive.

anyway it's not my problem now LOL!

Just have to pray that there's no buzzing when we set up at next weekends gig...

"We became rich a lot later than I thought - now I'm too old to enjoy my money" - John 'Thunderfingers' Entwhistle

Good score on the Jazz,I had the option to get one the saame when I swapped my MIA Jazz in a gear deal,but chose a CV Jazz instead purely because it's neck is the best of all the basses I own.

Been leaving my Fender P at home and been using the Squier CV which now has a Fender MIM Jazz neck fitted along with the Fender Vintage pups,control plate and pots from my donor bass,my old and trusty black 96 MIM Jazz which I did hundreds of gigs with. Oh well at least its gone to good use as the body was split in numerous places. The Squier CV neck ended up on another project, the Squire P special (P/J),that bass is away getting Bill Lawrence pups installed,cant wait for it's return.
I also had forgotten why I spent around 15 years on a Jazz,digging it all over again.The CV is also very light.

Enjoy the VM Jazz and fingers crossed on the buzz being a thing of the past.